Let’s Talk Science Welcomes New Members to the Board of Directors
Let’s Talk Science is pleased to announce the appointment of three new members to our Board of Directors. Paul Johnson, Farah Qaiser and Gabriel Woo join a team of dedicated and accomplished professionals who guide and oversee the work of Let’s Talk Science.
“I am delighted to welcome new members to our national board. The addition of Paul, Farah and Gabriel will complement our Board’s diverse professional experiences and personal histories to ensure we uphold Let’s Talk Science’s impact and relevance in a rapidly changing world,” said Hilary Foulkes, Chair of the Let’s Talk Science Board of Directors. “We all bring our unique perspectives and passion to the critical mission of helping youth in Canada prepare for future careers and citizenship roles.”
Paul Johnson is CEO of Q5X (Quantum5X Systems Inc), a Partner at Pivotal Input and President of Pine Ridge Associates. Paul has extensive executive, operating and venture capital experience across many sectors and has dedicated his recent professional activities to developing and mentoring business leaders.
Paul holds a Master in Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo. He is a member of the Professional Engineers Ontario. Paul was a founding Board Member of London Technology Alliance, the Ted Rogers Executive in Residence for the Wallace McCain Institute at UNB and an Executive Board Member of YPO Canada Region.
Farah Qaiser is the Director of Research and Policy at Evidence for Democracy, a non-partisan non-profit dedicated to promoting the transparent use of evidence in government decision-making through original research, educational training and issue campaigns. Previously, she worked as a researcher at the University Health Network’s Epilepsy Genetics Clinic, where she used genome sequencing to better understand epilepsies.
Farah holds a Master of Science in Molecular Genetics and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto. Her extensive volunteer and community experience includes serving as a member of the Canada Chief Science Advisor’s Youth Council, and on 500 Women Scientists’ Executive Leadership Team. Farah co-founded the Toronto Science Policy Network, has written about science and scientists for multiple media outlets (including Forbes), and continues to organize Wikipedia Edit-A-Thons to create pages about under-represented scientists.
Gabriel Woo is Vice President, Enterprise Payments and Digital Commerce at RBC Royal Bank where he leads a team with a mandate to expand the bank’s focus from traditional payments to the broader enablement of commerce through technology-enabled business solutions. Prior to his current role, Gabriel was one of the founding members of RBC Ventures, building the Consumer Ventures portfolio from inception. Gabriel also co-founded Borealis AI, an RBC Institute for Research focused on the fundamental research in and applications of machine learning theory which has grown to a network of research centres at leading AI research universities across Canada.
Gabriel began his career as a product engineer building advanced automotive safety systems. Gabriel has also worked at UBS Investment Bank, and as a management consultant with McKinsey and Company across Canada, US, UK and the Asia Pacific Region.
Gabriel was trained as an electrical engineer and holds a M.Sc. from Stanford University and a B.A.Sc. from the University of Toronto. He currently lives in Toronto with his wife and three young children.